In the last several years, media consumption on mobile devices has grown rapidly. The increase of downloading or streaming media content over mobile networks onto mobile devices is a major concern for both mobile network operators and mobile device users because of the increased bandwidth required to transmit the media content. The bandwidth burden on mobile networks is a major reason why most mobile network operators do not offer unlimited data usage plans.
There are some negative consequences to the increase of users downloading or streaming media content via mobile networks onto their mobile devices. As downloading or streaming of media content over a mobile network increases, the bandwidth burden on mobile networks increases, thereby increasing infrastructure costs and reducing a mobile network operator's ability to provide consistently high-speed service across its user base. Furthermore, if a user is not on an unlimited data plan, the increase in downloading or streaming of media content over the mobile network by the user consumes greater amounts of the user's data usage quota.